Madagascar leads Africa in female workforce participation rate at 83%

Madagascar, Burundi, and Mozambique lead Africa in female workforce participation, with rates above the global average of 48%.

The 2024 estimate ranks Nigeria 30th in Africa, with a female labour force participation rate of 52%.

Source:

International Labour Organization

Period:

2023
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India and China alone represent about 40% of the world’s total labour force
  • China (773M) and India (607M) together make up for about 40% of the world’s total labour force.
  • Nigeria ranks 5th globally with 113 million workers, the largest in Africa and only African country in the top 10.
  • Asia dominates, accounting for over 47% of global workers, highlighting the region’s population and production strength.
  • The U.S.A. (174M) ranks third, representing just about 5% of global labour but producing almost a quarter of global GDP, proving productivity, not size, drives wealth.
The 2023 total labour force in Africa
  • Africa's labour force continues to grow significantly, with several countries exceeding 10 million workers in 2023.
  • South Africa, despite its developed economy, has a labour force of 27 million, ranking below Tanzania and Egypt.
  • Nigeria, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have the largest labour forces in Africa.
  • East Africa remains a major hub, with Kenya and Uganda featuring prominently in the top ten.
Employment distribution worldwide in 2022
Key takeaways:
  • The industry sector accounted for the smallest portion of global employment in 2022.
  • Around 50 percent of the worldwide workforce is involved in the service sector.
  • On a global scale, the disparity between the agriculture and industry sectors is slight.
  • The sector with the largest share of employment globally is the service sector.
Distribution of workforce in Nigeria, 2022
Key takeaways:
  • Economic activities are categorised into three sectors.
  • The services sector is the largest employer of labour.
  • The data indicates that Nigeria's economy is primarily service-based.
  • The industry sector comprises of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities.
Employment distribution in sub-Saharan Africa (2022)
Key takeaways:
  • The predominant share of sub-Saharan Africa's workforce is engaged in agriculture.
  • In 2022, over 50% of the workforce in sub-Saharan Africa was employed in the Agriculture sector.
  • Employment levels in the Industry sector were significantly lower compared to Agriculture and Services.
  • Approximately 37% of employees in sub-Saharan Africa were in the Service industry.
Madagascar leads Africa with 85% of its working-age population actively participating in the labour force
At least 80% of adults in Madagascar, Tanzania, and Ethiopia who can work are employed or actively seeking jobs. Across Africa, 63% of working-age people are engaged in the workforce. However, in Algeria, Morocco, and Djibouti, participation is below 45%.
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